Metal table-top-stretching method and means



April 14, 1925.

1,533,591 HALL METAL TA B LE .TOP STRETCHING METHOD AND MEANS Filgd May 12, 1924 lllilllllllllllllIlllllllllilllllllllll April 14, 1925. 1,533,591

H. A. HALL METAL EABLE TOP STRETCHING METHOD AND MEANS Fild May 12, 1924 2 Shuts-shut 2 I 1'12 mania 1 f/arry 4 4/55,

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Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,533,591 PATENT; osrics.

HARRY A. HALL, OF NEWCASTLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HO'OSIER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEWCASTLE, TNDIANA, A CL'HPORATIGN L INDTANA.

METAL TABLE-TOP-ST-RETCI-IING METHOD AND MEANS.

Application filed May 12, 1924.. Serial No. 712,814.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY A. I'IALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newcastle, in the county of Henry and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metal Table-Top- Stretching Methods and Means, of which the following is a specification.

Table tops stamped and pressed out of sheet metal, usually with depending edgel'lang'es joined to the plane body-surface by a raised head or rib, and afterwards enameled, are much in use for kitchen cabinets, and the like, .and require to be stretched and so held, ,on account of a, generally warped and buckled condition of the product.

It has been proposed to reenforce the under side of the metal top ,to be stretched and straightened by placing a rectangular wooden frame closely fitted inside of the marginal flange, then placing clamping bars on the ends of the frame and table-top to draw the frame and top straight against a table or bench, then moving the side frame members apart by means of a jack and there retaining them by brace boards introduced ang'ularly to the side members, and then driving them straight and afterwardsso retaining' them as permanent parts of the table-top.

The object of my invention is toeliminate the end clamping operation and coinbine the operation of jackingrthe side ine-mbersapart with that of the introductionof the permanent transverse braces, which, by including braces at the ends instead of end frame members, cheapens the cost of the ,frame and also secures a moreextended and therefore a better distribution of the force which separates the sidemembers and stretches the metal table-top.

I accomplish the above, and other minor objects which will hereinafter appear, by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing in Which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of my stretching bench and mechanism with a table-top in )lace and stretched, a portion of the mecihanism being broken away; Fig. 2 is an end view of same; Fig. 3 is a cross section of a straightened table top, inverted, as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is a plan View of the under side of a table top showing the cross strips with a lapped placed equal distances joint, a modification from Fig. 1.; and Fig.

5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 showino' by dotted lines the strias in 1 3 Like characters of reference indicate like parts in theseveral views of the drawing.

The metal table-top 4 has a marginal head 5 and' a depending rini flange 6, here shown as upwardly extending in the reversed position in which the top is placed, as shown, for the stretching operation. It is laid, thus reversed, upon the flat top 7 ofa bench that is supported by legs 8. I 9 extend upwardly of the top 7 at the rear of the bench and support a horizontal board 10, to the lower front edge of which a wide board 11 is swingingly secured by hinges 12. A. forwardly extended lever 18 is fastened to the board 11 ,and provides a handle and leverage by which the board is swung downwardly with force, or purposes that will be hereinafter disclosed. i

D. arrow side-rails 1 1, 1 1., each having a A. pair of standards longitudinal. groove on their adj acentedges. I

are assembled in the inverted table-top 4:, against the flange 6 at the sides of the table, with the grooved edges of the rails turned inwardly; and a series of transverse .brace- 5 strips 15. hereshown as live in nuniberand each. madeof two pieces separated by transverse joints 16 allowing the strips to break upwardly at the joints for insertions, are from each other, starting with the two outermost ones in contact with the end flange-,6 the top 4. Said bracestrips have tongues 17 ,at ea ch end which are inserted in the corresponding grooves in the respective side rails 14] The breaks at the joints 16, in the strips 15, will i first present the strips in side elevation, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, with their angles at the joints all under the front part of the board 11. The board 11 will first have been swung upwardly, by means of lever 13, to the positions of the board and lever shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, to permit of this assembly of the strips 15.

Preferably, and as here shown, a bearing piece 18, narrower than the board 11, is attached to the board 11 and bears upon the strips 15, at their joints, to concentrate any pressure.

The strips are thus lowered at their joints by lowering the lever until the two pieces of each strip are in alinement with each other, and are in uniform contact with the table-top.

In assuming the last described relation, the jointed strips exert a powerful toggle action to spread the side-rails 14: apart and stretch the metal table top. The rails 14, and the strips 15 are all allowed to remain thus in the metal top to holdthe top in this stretched condition. While the joints will not break again without the application of considerable force, I prefer to guard against such occurrence by fastening together the ends of the pieces at the joints by appropriately driving the well known corrugated sheet metal fasteners 18 into them. Nails 19 may be used as in Fig. 4, when strips with lapped ends are employed.

This completes the operation of stretching a table-top, which, it will be noted, is very quickly and easily done.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent by the United States 1s- 1. The herein described method of stretching sheet metal table-tops with side and end flanges, which consists of assembling the top with side rails capable of sliding movement away from each other, placing braces each comprising two transversely divided parts breaking outwardly, between the side rails with the two outermost ones in contact with the respective end flanges of the top, and applying pressure simultaneously to the braces at their joints to straighten the parts and slide the rails away from each other.

2. The herein described method of stretching sheet metal table tops with side and end flanges, which consists of assembling the top with side rails capable of sliding movement away from each other, placing three or more braces each comprising two transversely divided parts breaking outwardly at the joints thus formed, between the side rails with the two outermost ones in contact with the respective end flanges of the top, applying pressure simultaneously to the braces at their joints to straighten the parts and slide the rails away from each other,

and finally securing together the ends of the pieces at the joints of the braces so they will not break again.

3. A stretching device for sheet metal table tops with side and end flanges, comprising a pair of side rails capable of sliding movement away from each other, a plurality of brace-strips each in two transversely divided parts breaking in a direction away from the table top at the resulting joints when first assembled on the table top, the two outermost brace-strips being in contactwith respective end -flanges of the top, and means to contact all of the joints and simultaneously to force the parts into straight alinement with each other by pressure, to strengthen the broken joints and thereby slide the rails apart.

4. A sheet metal table top stretching de vice comprising a pair of side rails capable of sliding movement away from each other, a plurality of brace strips each in two transversely divided parts breaking in a direction away from the table top, at the resulting oints when first assembled on the table top, a hinged member adapted to simultaneously contact the broken joints of all of the brace strips, and a lever to move the hinged member against the joints to straighten the brace strips and slide the rails apart.

5. A stretching device for a sheet metal table-top with flanges, comprising a bench upon which the inverted top is held while being stretched, a pair of side rails capable of sliding movement away from each other placed against the flanges of the top, a plurality of brace strips each in two transversely divided parts breaking in a direction away from the table-top at the resultting joints, an upstanding bench member, a swinging member hinged to the upstanding bench member and adapted to simultaneously contact the broken joints of all of the brace strips and straighten the strip by a swinging movement of said hinged member, and lever means for swinging the hinged member.

Signed at Newcastle, Tndiana, this the 28th day the April, 1924.

HARRY A. HALL. 

